worker

American  

[wur-ker] / ˈwɜr kər /

noun

1. a person or thing that works.

2. a laborer or employee.

   steel workers.

3. a person engaged in a particular field, activity, or cause.

   a worker in psychological research; a worker for the Republican Party.

4. Entomology.

   1. a member of a caste of sexually underdeveloped, nonreproductive bees, specialized to collect food and maintain the hive.

   2. a similar member of a specialized caste of ants, termites, or wasps.

5. Printing. one of a set of electrotyped plates used to print from (molder ).

6. any of several rollers covered with card clothing that work in combination with the stripper rollers and the cylinder in the carding of fibers.

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worker British  

/ ˈwɜːkə /

noun

1. a person or thing that works, usually at a specific job

   a good worker

   a research worker

2. an employee in an organization, as opposed to an employer or manager

3. a manual labourer or other employee working in a manufacturing or other industry

4. any other member of the working class

5. a sterile female member of a colony of bees, ants, or wasps that forages for food, cares for the larvae, etc

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Other Word Forms

• nonworker noun
• subworker noun
• workerless adjective

Etymology

Origin of worker

First recorded in 1300–50, worker is from the Middle English word werker, worcher. See work, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Driving to the office less could save workers some money and some stress.

From MarketWatch

Manufacturers are losing lots of skilled, older workers as they retire, but they are not trying to replace them because of uncertainty about future sales.

From MarketWatch

A worker at a nongovernmental organization in Yekaterinburg said a debate among residents of her apartment block about migrating their chat group to Max grew heated when a majority opposed it for data-privacy reasons.

From The Wall Street Journal

The findings may have broader implications for people who rely on caffeine at night, including shift workers, health care professionals, and military personnel.

From Science Daily

"This study addresses a major gap by focusing on the workers who start their day when most people are still asleep."

From Science Daily

Related Words

• employee
• laborer
• staff